Thursday, November 5, 2009

Bouncing Round the Country

We stumbled our weary bones back home at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening, a full 13 hours since arriving at LAX for our flight to CLE. This was after packing up the campsite and battling Los Angeles commuter traffic for 140 miles to get to a buddy's apartment where we stayed on Monday night. Exhausting? Yes. Regrettable? Not in a million years.

The planning that went into the fest included everything from coffee and donut provision to 40,000 people on Sunday morning, to ambient light effects on palm trees surrounding the stage. That is to say, they thought of EVERYTHING. Unlike other festivals I've attended, there was ample sinks, bathrooms, even showers (?!?!). They even set up a veritable microbrewery tent (be still my heart) with over 50 different kinds for sale. The routes in and out of The Empire Polo Club grounds were well planned, and we barely had to wait at all upon exiting the highway (which, if you've waited in line at Bonnaroo for 10 hours, you know how painful it is). Our campsite was at the far end of the site, but the walk to the Farmer's Market (yes, they had that too) or the venue itself was no longer than 10 minutes past palm trees and scenic mountain vistas in the distance.

The concerts themselves were something to behold. The band, which for the past few years (really since 2000) had been seemingly going through the motions, were firing like mad on all cylinders and melting people's faces like in days of old. Friday nights' opening ceremonies aptly set the stage for the weekend to come. Opening with 'Party Time' a raucous (if repetitive) new song, the band rocked out old favorites like 'Chalkdust Torture', 'NICU', 'Stash', and 'Cavern'. Interwoven excellently into the fabric were three songs from their newest release 'Joy'. The crowd really seemed to adopt the new stuff, as 'Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan' debuted in the middle, with 'Ocelot', and a beautifually jam-laden 'Time Turns Elastic' closing the set. Set two for the night saw the band come out with guns blazing, absolutely hammering a string (that included PYITE->Down With Disease ->Prince Caspian->Wolfman's Brother->Piper->Joy) at the onset that had fans shaking what their Mother's gave them. For the encore, a righteous sounding Character Zero sent everyone to their tents (or their parties) with a grin and a feeling like Saturday would be Christmas morning.

Saturday morning dawned cold but bright, with the temperature climbing from 45 degrees at about 6:00 a.m. to 90 by 2:00 p.m. This leads to the odd predicament in tent sleeping. By freezing the night before, it's necessary to load up on every tshirt, sweatshirt, sock, and jacket you brought with you. But by 9:00 a.m., the temp is beginning to rise so quickly that it's nearly unbearable to be wearing anything but shorts and a lone tshirt. We ventured to the Arts & Crafts Area, where attendees could create their own rock cairns/piles/what have you, the Farmer's Market, where fresh produce and wheat grass infused beverages beckoned, and The Overlook, with its' Bloody Mary Bar, Movie Theater, and 100 foot Ferris Wheel (like I said, everything...).

The shows themselves Saturday were inspiring in that "man I wish I could quit my job and follow Phish around the country" way. As it was Halloween, the rumor mill was grinding at full capacity with thoughts on what the boys would play for their second set "musical costume". This has become a Halloween tradition for the band, as they adopt cover an album in its' entirety. While many had their money on "Thriller", others thought David Bowie was a lock. Turns out, it was the Rolling Stones that had caught the band's eye, and they played a rollicking "Exile on Main Street" to the delighted crowd. The third (yes, third) set was as epic a performance as I've seen since the historic NYE 2000 performance at Big Cypress. Though only five songs in length, Trey made the absolute most of the hour and forty minute set. The jams were tight and uber-funky, with Mike dropping bass lines straight out of 1997. The closer, and my absolute favorite, You Enjoy Myself, closed out the set. How would they top such a mammoth set? With Suzy Greenberg, of course. I have never seen so many people go from standing still to dancing/flailing/cheering with every ounce of their being like when the first familiar notes of Suzy dropped (with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, to boot). And Sunday, Christmas morning again...

Sunday the show opened early, with a noon set. This was Phish's first ever all acoustic set, and if you know Phish fans, to witness "a first" is a cause for celebration in itself. As noted previously, the band provided coffee and donuts gratis to all fans (a logistical feat by any measure), and broke out gems such as (the never before played live) Sleep Again (another First!), Train Song, and Driver. I was anticipating more bluegrass, but was not disappointed when it didn't turn out to be. The 21 song set really shows how the 5 song set from the night before was a wonder. Sets two and three relied on staid favorites from the old days, from AC\DC Bag and Reba, to Tweezer and Mike's Song. Interestingly, rather than the good old Mike's-> I am Hydrogen -> Weekapaug Groove progression, they went with a Mike's->2001->Light->Slave to the Traffic Light formula that effectively kept the audience guessing, just like every other aspect of the band for the weekend. They do indeed like their surprises...

Fittingly, Tweezer Reprise closed the festival, with Chris Kuroda applying his master-touch to the unparalleled light show, and Trey thanking the crowd for a truly fun weekend. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: they say Disney World is the happiest place on earth; I say, not while there's a Phish concert going on...